White Folks Dismantling White Supremacy: Ending the Shame Cycle

We usually meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. Please note that due to the holidays, in November and December there will be no fourth-Tuesday meeting.

Our topic for Tuesday, November 9, 2021 is how to shed shame. As white people, we have often been taught that racism is all about feelings: how we feel about others, how we feel about ourselves. When we learn more about the racism embedded deep in our society, one of the feelings that can overwhelm us is shame, which is irrelevant and destructive. It is irrelevant if it concerns actions we didn’t take personally (the actions of our ancestors or people who share whiteness), and it is destructive applied to ourselves, because it creates a vortex of defeatism, blame and disconnection.

It is no exaggeration to say that white people’s sense of shame has prevented us from ending white supremacy for hundreds of years–which then adds to our burden of shame. It’s time to end the shame cycle! We’ll practice together, learning techniques that use our shame response as a cue to turn towards positive words and actions.

If you would like to attend this session and are not subscribed to the email list, please email dismantlingwhitesupremacy+subscribe@uucpa.org.  Zoom information for the session will be sent to this list early next week.  We welcome new attendees at any time!

All people of whatever race or background are welcome to attend any or all sessions. We call the group “White Folks . . . ” because we recognize that the work of dismantling white supremacy is for white people to do. It’s also important to have anti-racism learning spaces for white folks, where they can grapple with new ideas about racism and speak candidly about their fears and misconceptions. It can be painful for people of color to witness these conversations, so we have created this space apart from the main body of the congregation.